Kates



R. KATES March 24, 1964 BAR BECUE' WITH ADJUSTABLY SUPPORTABLE GRIDFiled May 29, 1953- INVENTOR. RICHARD KA rEs %7 A Tram/Er United StatesPatent 3,125,999 BARBECUE WITH ADIUSTABLY SUPPORTABLE GRID RichardKates, Park Lane, Madison, NJ. Filed May 29, 1963, Ser. No. 284,068Claims. (Cl. 126-25) This invention relates to barbecues and, moreparticularly, to one having a food support grid or grill which may beadjusted with respect to a supporting frame and means therebeneath forholding a bed of fuel.

The barbecue features of my invention may be used in a cabinet which ismovable on Wheels and which has a support for holding a bed of fuelbeneath an adjustably supported grid, said cabinet also desirably havinga spit or other device for holding meat or other food to be cooked orheated over the fuel. However, I do not wish to be limited to the use ofmy device in connection with such a barbecue, which is referred to asmerely illustrative. An object of the present invention is to provide anovel and approved construction involving one or more grids, the frontand rear portions of which are selectively engageable and disengageablewith respect to a supporting frame and one of said portions, desirablythe rear, is supportable from said frame at a selected elevation,thereby making it possible to not only raise or lower said portion, butto vary the inclination of the grid with respect to a bed of fueldisposed therebeneath.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description when taken with the accompanyingdrawings. It will be understood that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and do not define the scope or limits of the invention,reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts inthe several views:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a frame with a pair of grids or grillsadjustably supported thereon, one of said grids being shown in oneposition and the other in another position.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view to a larger scale onthe line 22 of FIGURE 1, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 33 ofFIGURE 1, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIGURE 2, butshowing in skeleton lines the grid with its front end portion raisedpreparatory to adjusting the supported position thereof.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan of a portion of one of the grids.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the far or left rearcorner portion of the device as viewed in FIGURE 1, said view being astaken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2, in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 77 ofFIGURE 2, in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference character A designatesthe assembled frame and associated grills or grids B and C embodying myinvention. The elongated or rectangular frame A, which in use holds saidgrids over a support D for a bed of fuel, consists of a normally frontside member 11, a normally rear side member 12, which forms the majorportions of the sides of said frame. The frame A is completed bygenerally U-shaped end members 13 and 14. The normally front member 11is inverted U-shape in section, as shown most clearly in FIGURES 2, 3and 4.

The normally rear member 12 is likewise inverted U-shape in section but,instead of having flanges of uniform height depending from a top Web,like those of the EJZSEW Patented Mar. 24, I964 "ice member 11, it hasan inner flange 15 which is considerably deeper than its outer flange16. The depth of the outer flange 16 may correspond with the depth ofthe flanges 17 and 18 of the front or side member 11.

The end members 13 and 14 are generally U-shape in plan but are invertedU-shape in section, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 7. In this case,however, the inner flange 19 of each of the end members 13 and 14 is ofless depth than the outer flange 21 at the end of the frame. Said flange19, however, increases in depth as it merges into the arms of theU-shaped member, 13 or 14, to a depth corresponding with that of theflanges 15 and 18. These end portions of the U-shaped end members 13 and14, desirably, but not necessarily telescope inside of the adjacent endportions of the front and rear members 11 and 12, as shown most clearlyin FIGURES l to 4, inclusive, 6 and 7, because it is desirable that thewebs on top elements of the front and rear members he correspondinglywider than those of the end members, and are secured thereto as by meansof screws 22. Thus, they may be assembled or disassembled at will,thereby allowing for convenient transportation and storage.

The grills or grids B and C are supportable within the frame defined bythe U-shaped end members 13 and 14 of the generally straight sidemembers 11 and 12 by having a pair of rearwardly projecting members orelements, desirably formed as loops 23 and 24. Such loops may beextensions of the cross pieces 25 between the front and rear elements ofthe peripheral frame member 26. Intermediate portions of said framemember 26 are united with longitudinally extending frame parts 27 and 28of each of the grids B and C.

At the front end of each grill or grid B and C is a single forwardlyprojecting member or element 29 desirably likewise formed as a singleloop by corerspondingly extending a pair of cross members 25. Theextended cross members are desirably those which form the end elementsof the pair of loops 23 and 24, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 5. Thepair of elements 23 and 24 are desirably selectively receivable incorrespondingly paired slots or elongated apertures 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,36, 37 and 38. That is, the loop 23 of the grid B is receivable ineither of the apertures 31 and 32 while the loop 24 of grid B isreceivable in either of the apertures 33 and 34, thereby determining theelevation of the rear portion of said grid and also the slope thereof.

In the same way the loop 23 of the grid C is receivable in either theupper aperture or slot 35 or the lower aperture or slot 36 and the loop24 is receivable in the upper aperture 37 or the lower aperture 38,thereby correspondingly determining height and slope of the grid.Although the grid B is shown associated With slots or apertures 31 to34, inclusive, and the grid C is shown associated with apertures 35 to38, inclusive, it will be understood that these grids are desirablyuniform and interchangeable with respect to one another. It will also beclear that my invention is not limited to slots disposed at only twoelevations.

The single loop 29 of the grill B is relatively long and supportable ona ledge 41 desirably formed by removing the inner portion of the web 42of the front member 11 and the adjacent portion of the flange 18thereof. In the same way the relatively long loop 43 of the grid C issupportable on a ledge 44 formed by cutting away the inner portion ofthe web 42 of the member 11 and the adjacent portion of the flange 18thereof.

In order to adjust a grid with respect to the frame described, it isshifted from the position illustrated in FIG- URE 3 where the loop, 29or 43, as the case may be, here shown as 43 of the grid C, underlies theremainder of the web 42, to the position illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5where it is clear of said web 42, with the inner end of the grid element39, disposed between the elements forming the loops 23 and 24 desirablyabutting the flange 15. The loop is then raised from the full-lineposition illustrated, whereupon the rear loops may be withdrawn from thereceiving slots, such as those designated 31 and 33, and swung down andinserted in slots disposed at a different, here lower, level, such asthose designated 36 and 33, as illustrated for the grid C in FIGURES 1and 3. Then the grid may be pulled forward until its front loop, 29 or43, underlies or latches under the web 42, as shown in FIG- URE 3. Ifand when desired, the operation may be reversed and a grid moved fromthe position illustrated for grid C in FIGURES 1 and 3, through theposition illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, to the position illustrated inB in FIGURES 1 and 2.

When the grid is in the position shown in FIGURE 3, accidental orunintentional lifting of the grid is prevented, for example, when aneffort is made to lift from the grid a piece of meat that is stuck orburned on the grid.

Although a single embodiment has been illustrated and described, it willbe understood that modifications may be made Within the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A barbecue grill comprising a substantially rectangular frame portionincluding end members and first and second side members, said first sidemember including a top flange and a downwardly extending flange disposedon the inner portion of said first side member, means defining anopening in the top flange of said first side member extending downwardlyinto said downwardly extending flange and terminating at a point beneaththe bottom surface of the top flange of said first side member and abovethe lowermost extremity of said downwardly extending flange, said secondside member including a downwardly extending flange disposed on theinnermost portion thereof, said flange on said second side member havingrelatively greater depth than said downwardly extending flange on saidfirst side member, means defining a plurality of vertically spaced slotsin said flange on said second side member, a wire grid' including aperipheral frame element and a plurality of cross members, first andsecond grid support means disposed on opposite side portions of saidperipheral grid frame, said first support means supportingly disposedWithin said opening in said first side member of said barbecue frame andselectively removable therefrom and said second grid support meansdisposed in selected slot defining means in said flange of said secondside element.

2. A barbecue grill as defined by claim 1, wherein each of said sidemembers is inverted 'U-shape in section.

3. A barbecue grill as defined by claim 1, wherein one of said sidemembers has relatively shallow depending flanges, the other side memberhas an outer, relatively shallow depending flange and an innerrelatively deep depending flange.

4. A barbecue grill as defined by claim 1, wherein a supporting legdepends from each corner of said frame.

5. A barbecue grill as defined by claim 1, wherein said first and secondgrid supporting means comprise wire loop elements extending outwardlybeyond the normal peripheral outline of said grid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS,

615,548 Guinean Dec, 6, 1898 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,969 Great Britain Feb.21, 1898 169,926 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1921

1. A BARBECUE GRILL COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME PORTIONINCLUDING END MEMBERS AND FIRST AND SECOND SIDE MEMBERS, SAID FIRST SIDEMEMBER INCLUDING A TOP FLANGE AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE DISPOSEDON THE INNER PORTION OF SAID FIRST SIDE MEMBER, MEANS DEFINING ANOPENING IN THE TOP FLANGE OF SAID FIRST MEMBER EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTOSAID DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE AND TERMINATING AT A POINT BENEATH THEBOTTOM SURFACE OF THE TOP FLANGE OF SAID FIRST SIDE MEMBER AND ABOVE THELOWERMOST EXTREMITY OF SAID DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE, SAID SECONDSIDE MEMBER INCLUDING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE DISPOSED ON THEINNERMOST PORTION THEREOF, SAID FLANGE ON SAID SECOND SIDE MEMBER HAVINGRELATIVELY GREATER DEPTH THAN SAID DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING